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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25641943">40</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadztone/pseuds/jadztone'>jadztone</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Age is just a number [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Nonbinary Luna Lovegood, all of them are Hogwarts professors because I say so, background Harry/Luna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:41:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,855</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25641943</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadztone/pseuds/jadztone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A year ago Luna plotted for Neville and Harry to jointly celebrate turning 40 years old, and they made good on their plan.  They also helped Neville with his own secret plan to set Draco up for a surprise.  </p><p>It's Neville's 40th birthday, shouldn't he get what he wants most in the world?  </p><p>Set a year after the events of "39" but you don't necessarily have to have read it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Neville Longbottom &amp; Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom/Draco Malfoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Age is just a number [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1858867</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>40</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I felt like I had to continue the story and do something special for Neville's 40th.  The thing is, I have felt zero motivation to write recently, and so the best I could do was 2k words of fluff.  </p><p>I did only the most cursory britpick, so if you see something say something. ;)</p><p>Also, this is my first time writing an enby character, if I messed anything up, pleeeeaaase let me know.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>Neville watched as Draco and Luna took the stage, getting ready to address the birthday party guests.  It was quite a crowd of people, and he knew that most of them were there for Harry, but he didn’t care.  Draco was the only guest that mattered. </p><p>Neville went to stand next to Harry, taking a moment to marvel at how Draco and Luna looked now compared to when they were students at Hogwarts.  Back then, Luna’s blonde hair had been long and flowing and almost as untamed as their personality, while Draco tended to go for severe, short styles that emphasised his pale, pointed features.  Now it was Draco with the flowing hair, though he tried to tame it a bit with the occasional braid or ponytail as he did tonight.  Luna’s hair was now very short - tousled curls stopping right above their ears with an undercut that often had random words or symbols buzzed into it related to their mood. </p><p>It was a recent development for Luna.  They arrived at Hogwarts after Christmas break, having just accepted an apprenticeship with Hagrid to eventually take over his duties as Care of Magical Creatures professor.  Luna requested Neville, Harry, and Draco join them at the Three Broomsticks one evening a week into term, and went into a long discussion about gender identity and how for the past couple of years they’d been reading a lot of muggle literature and finally came to an understanding about themselves.  Luna then asked Harry to cut their hair for them, saying it was only fair since they had once repaired his broken nose for him.  Draco had gone a deep shade of red at that, which Neville knew was because he’d been the one to break it in the first place. </p><p>Harry protested the request at first, saying that he’d never managed to tame his own hair, how could he expect to make Luna’s look good.  Luna had primly told him that if he could teach Dark Arts, he would do a fine job at Hair Arts.  Harry wasn’t sure about their logic, but Luna had been right. Harry did a fantastic job, and the smile Luna bestowed on him afterward could have lit up the entire castle.  It certainly made Harry’s olive complexion flush with heat.</p><p>Thinking back on it now brought a loving smile to Neville’s lips - to see Draco and Luna both thriving as professors at Hogwarts, in contrast to how they’d not been able to truly be themselves when they were students.</p><p>Luna whispered a spell and then pressed the tip of their wand to their throat.  “If we may have your attention for a moment.  Draco and I would like to say a few words about our guests of honour.  Neither Harry nor Neville like to be the centre of attention.  But they understand that we want to celebrate them, and are gracious enough to put up with our desire to lavish them with praise. And on that note, I’d like to go first and say a few words about Harry.”</p><p>Neville watched with a fond smile as Luna spoke in loving tones about their appreciation for Harry and all that he has done for the world and his influence on their own life, and how blessed Luna felt to have been his friend for so long, and now colleagues at Hogwarts.  The way Harry blushed, Neville suspected it wouldn’t be long before they were more than that. </p><p>When they were finished, Luna gave a short bow to Draco and he brought his own wand to his neck.  “It’s difficult for me to speak about Neville without being deeply personal and reverent, so I won’t even try.  Sorry folks, you’ll just have to put up with a lot of sentimental drivel.” </p><p>He cleared his throat as everyone chuckled.  “Yesterday was the first anniversary of when Neville and I became…reacquainted.  He graciously offered to let me join him for his 39<sup>th</sup> birthday, and I’ve not been the same since.  No one has ever given themselves to me as freely as Neville did.  Which is remarkable when I think about how, given our past encounters, he had no obligation to treat me with anything other than polite professionalism.”</p><p>Draco huffed out a laugh and Neville gave him a warm smile. “Sometimes I think he sees me like those prickly plants that he adores.  He has a strategy for them that I noticed he applied to me.  First he figures out their defence mechanisms and uses patience to get past them. Then he figures out what makes them thrive and gives them what they need to make them grow.</p><p>It sounds simple in theory, but I think we all recall some disastrous Herbology lessons.  We tended to get impatient with how stubborn some of those plants could be.  If we weren’t trying to pass the class, we’d have given up.  Let them die of neglect because we just didn’t care.  But Neville cares.  Not just about plants, but people as well.  Working his patient, gentle magic on all of us.  His friends…his students…<em>me</em>.”</p><p>Draco swallowed hard, and Neville had to take a shuddering breath to keep it together.  “He cares about me, and he’s put up with so much this past year from me.  And I feel like we’re finally at a good place.  He knows I’m not going to spontaneously erupt on him like his mimbulus mimbletonia.  Anyway, I thank Neville so much for his patience, because he’s made me happier this past year than I’ve ever been my entire life.  I look forward to the next year being even better than the last.  And hopefully the next, and the next…”  He gave an awkward chuckle and the audience let out a gentle ripple of laughter.</p><p>Luna fixed him with a mischievous look.  “Just how far into the future are you looking, Draco?”</p><p>Draco’s returning smile was slightly twisted into a grimace, and Neville sent him a silent hug.    “Couldn’t say for sure, I didn’t do that well in Trelawney’s class.”    The audience chuckled again.</p><p>Luna’s eyes gleamed.  “Oh, I’m not talking about anything prophetic. I just thought maybe you were leading up to something big. Like asking Neville to marry you.”</p><p>The room went deathly silent and Neville kept his own face neutral as he watched Draco’s eyes widen in shock.  Neville was quite pleased with Luna’s success in bringing up a proposal, though Draco did give them the perfect opening.  It was obvious from the second-hand embarrassment on everyone’s face that they thought Luna was just being their usual blithe, unfiltered self.  No one had any idea the whole thing was planned.</p><p>And now it would go from planning to improvisation. Neville was ready for whatever came next, though he hoped dearly that it would end well.</p><p>Draco gave a shaky laugh.  “Ah Luna, that’s quite a…um…”  His eyes darted around the silent crowd, resting on Neville.  He continued to keep his face neutral, but let his love shine through his eyes.  Draco’s breath hitched and he looked down.  His smile still didn’t manage to look genuine, and Neville hoped he hadn’t made a mistake.  “As wonderful as it would…well, I couldn’t…it’s not fair to Neville.  To put him on the spot like that…if he didn’t want to say yes.”  He nervously cleared his throat.  “Maybe you don’t know this about us Slytherins, but we don’t do anything unless we are absolutely sure the outcome will be in our favor.”  He tried to laugh again.</p><p>Neville suspected it would be something like this.  Even after everything they’ve shared together this past year, Draco still had doubts about the depths of Neville’s feelings for him.  Doubts that were fed by his certainty that their peers either disbelieved they were even together or disapproved of it.  It was why Neville wanted to do this now, at this party, when everyone they knew was here. </p><p>He took a few steps forward until he was standing next to Draco, who blinked at him in confusion.  With a gentle smile, he placed his hand over Draco’s and tugged so that Draco’s wand was now pressed to his own throat.  “I suppose it’s true that Slytherins don’t like to take risks.  It’s much more Gryffindor’s style to lay it all on the line with a public proposal.” </p><p>He grinned as Draco frowned at him incomprehensively for a moment, and then his eyes widened.  “Draco, the words you spoke about me just now filled me with such joy. And I don’t mean all the praises, though my ego certainly appreciated it.  I’m talking about when you said that I made you happy.  Because that’s all I’ve wanted to do this past year…make you happy.  And I want to continue to do so, for as long as you will let me.  You know that I love you, Draco.  If you have any doubts that I am already yours, perhaps this will convince you?”</p><p>He used his free hand to reach into his pocket and pull out a small box.  He flicked it open to reveal an ancient signet ring that belonged to the Longbottom family.  “Draco Malfoy, will you marry me?”  Gasps and whispers rippled through the crowd for a moment and then silenced again as they awaited Draco’s answer. </p><p>Tears shone in Draco’s eyes as he stared down at the ring.  Neville knew he recognised it.  During Easter break, Draco accompanied Neville when he visited his Gran in Mayfair, and she’d taken great pleasure in showing Draco their dusty collection of Longbottom artifacts.  She particularly pointed out a signet ring that had been gifted to Callidora Black upon her engagement to Harfang Longbottom. It was Gran’s way of pointing out that there was already history between the Blacks and the Longbottoms.  Neville had known then and there that he wanted the ring for Draco.</p><p>Draco swallowed hard again and he nodded mutely.  Relief and joy coursed through Neville, though he couldn’t resist teasing a little.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that?”  He brought the wand back to Draco’s throat. </p><p>Draco gave him a glare that was all heat and no ice.  “It would be my utmost privilege to be your husband, Neville Longbottom.  Now will you put that damn ring on my finger? I’ve been waiting months for it.”</p><p>The guests cheered.  Neville’s face split into a grin, and he removed the ring from the box and placed it on Draco’s finger. He’d already spelled it so that it would fit perfectly.  Draco immediately threw down his wand and flung himself into Neville’s arms. </p><p>Neville felt Luna’s hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.  He would have to do something special as a thank you for their help in setting Draco up.  Maybe even return the favor at some point, if Luna’s recent interactions with Harry gave any indication.</p><p>For now he would enjoy this wonderful night.  The best birthday of his life, easily eclipsing last year’s when he held Draco in his arms like this for the very first time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You can find me gushing about dreville on tumblr.dreville.com</p></blockquote></div></div>
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